My colleagues take advantage of my helpful nature
I can’t claim to be an ardent follower of Philippians 2:3-4 where it says we should consider others first before self, but I try. My peers at work, however, see this as my weakness and take advantage of it. Working in an NGO where teamwork is emphasised, my colleagues frequently request my help with their admin tasks—work I am not good at or like to do, and certainly not my core area of responsibility. While I am glad to help and grateful to God for his spirit working in me, I am in a dilemma as to how to cope with my real duties and not be appraised as under-performing or unhelpful. How should I manage being a good employee and still reflect Christ in me?
Joey says
Dear itCost2bConsiderate,
The context of Philippians 2:3-4 is very different from your work situation, so the application is tricky. In the Philippian church, the desire for self-glorification was threatening to fragment the Christian community. Paul was exhorting them not to seek self-glorification but instead consider each other’s needs as more important than their own. The expectation was that it would be mutual: they would care for each other.
There are some things that don’t apply to the workplace. But we can apply the principle that as Christians, we should: (i) not seek personal glory, and (ii) look to the interests of others, and not just our own. Our gifts are given by God not only for our benefit but also to bless others. This means helping others in areas where we are strong, and when we have the bandwidth. If we are guarding our resources, we need to repent and choose generosity.
But it doesn’t mean that you should do everyone else’s work. Exercise wisdom in acceding to their requests for help: is your colleague in need of help (help them) or just passing off work that (s)he doesn’t want to do (decline to be made use of)?
Your Christian witness in the marketplace depends on how well you do the work that has been assigned to you. Your organisation expects you to be responsible for your primary work. Put your work first, then consider helping your colleagues who genuinely need help.